The Association for the Study of Play

It's called "The Association for the Study of Play." It's a "multidisciplinary organization" because the study of play impinges on "anthropology, education, psychology, sociology, recreation and leisure studies, history, folklore, dance, communication, the arts, kinesiology, philosophy, cultural studies, and musicology."

To get a better understanding of what these people are about, take a glance at the presentations and presenters from February's conference. Here are a few exemplary titles:

"A Serio-Ludic Rhetoric of Electronic Discourse," "Embodied Ethnography: Seeing, Feeling and Knowledge among Bodybuilders," "Children's Museums: Learning Through Play or Edutainment?" "Next Time, we are Going to Clean up Transcultural Participation in Aboriginal Sports at the Arctic Winter Games."

The diversity of interests, combined with the rigors of academic discipline, have led to the creation of a unique organization - one that, despite its history and heavily-credentialed officers, has been struggling, ever since its inception, to gain recognition and support. There's something about play that makes it almost impossible to take seriously. And yet, the stalwart members of this organization (of which I am a lifetime member) find a way to gather together every year to share their serious learnings and even more serious playfulness along with mass quantities of wine and cheese.

If you can't make it to next year's conference, TASP has produced a significant passel of publications reflecting both the spirit and the brilliance of its contributors. The most recent edition of TASP's "Play and Culture Studies" focuses on "Play and Educational Theory and Practice."